A Mom T Ball Coach?

Updated on
July 31, 2008

M.M.
asks from
Mound, MN
on July 29, 2008

13
answers

I recently attended a Tiny T Ball game and saw that most of the Dads were "coaching" the kids on the field (complete with COACH t-shirts), while the Moms were watching from the sidelines. Has anyone ever seen Moms coaching? I would love to do it when my daughter starts T ball, but not sure if it's kinda the Dads territory, as in it gives the Dads a way to bond with the kids and get to know the other Dads.
Would YOU do it?
Just wanted to know what people thought of the idea.

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V.B.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 31, 2008

Please step up and volunteer! There is no such thing as a "dad" territory when it comes to sports. Plus there are never enough volunteers out there (and believe me I know, I am the age group coordinator for softball and we are always short on coaches). If you are comfortable with being a coach and you can relate well with the kids you will be a great coach. You don't even need to know the sport that great, at this age you are teaching the kids sportsmanship and a few basic skills.

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B.J.

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J.S.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

There aren't a lot of Moms who coach on our league (we play through the YMCA) but there are definitely some, and I would absolutely encourage you to do it! I love to see Moms coach, I think it's good for both girls and boys to see.

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A.V.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

absolutely do it. We have a couple mom's who coach t-ball and soccer teams in our community some are mixed teams (mom & dad coaches)and some are all (mom or dads) neither gender is "better" to coach than the other go out have fun just make sure you understand the rules and that goes for mom's and dad's. It is a bonding experience but who says it has to be dad and son or dad and daughter it can be mom and son or mom and daughter too just go out and have fun and make sure the kids are having fun. my kids daughter 10 years and son 6 years have been on all kinds of teams with all different coaches and she has always had fun and i have never had any complaints about the gender of the coach.
Good luck and I hope you go for it!

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C.L.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

Do it! I'm not very good at baseball so I wouldn't do it, but I think it's great for kids to see parents in non-stereotypical roles. I've seem mom t-ball coaches and my soon to be 6th grader had a mom as a coach for his All Star baseball team. She coached another baseball team at his level all summer. I am a cub scout den leader and in our pack I am definitely in the minority. I think there are two of us moms who are leaders and the rest are dads. Have fun!

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B.H.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

I've coached both teeball and soccer!

I love it and think woman can and are better coaches sometimes. Being that I'm really athletic helps but being a woman I had my sensitive and fairness side come out. I had so many parents compliment me on my coaching. Then again I've had some real pig headed jerk guys coach my daughter so I got fed up and decided to coach myself it has been a really positive experiance. I got alot of weird looks. I'm sure parents were wondering if I was a lesbian(I'm not) or where my daughter's father was (I'm was a single mom) but in the end it didn't matter I was happy, my daughter was happy and the other kids/parents were happy. We've had some real horrible experiances with guy coaches so I wish I did see more female coach's out there.

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A.R.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

Go for it Valerie. Kids respond to a good coach, not the gender of a coach. When I was young and played softball, we had moms and dads coaching - it never made a difference to us then. If you travel throughout the country you will find more balance.

Be the mom to start the ball rolling in your area! Those moms sitting on the sidelines who would love to coach but don't have the courage to sign up will appreciate your taking the lead.

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K.S.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

I agree - Be a coach. Best thing that could happen to boys is to have a balanced approach to sports. We had a mom coach our son's t-ball team on year and I guess I hadn't even noticed it until I read your question

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C.O.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

My son is currently playing T-ball through the Brooklyn Center Community Center. They have their regular coaches (mostly women) and they always ask for parent volunteers to help out at each game. Both moms and dads help out. I say go for it if you want to coach and who cares what other people think.

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D.P.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

My daughter is the only girl on her all boy t-ball team..We have a mom coach and the dad is the assistant. We also have a couple of moms that will be base coaches. There is always a need for parents to be involved...so when you get ready for sports, tell the organizers you are interested in coaching. It sets a good example for kids, both boys and girls!!

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T.B.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

Absolutely no reason a mom can't coach. I have a friend who has coached boys baseball, and continues to coach her teenage sons' in soccer. Don't let the guys intimidate you! I think it's funny that the dads wear "coach" t-shirts. Don't worry -you won't get in the way of their male bonding. The girls in tee ball need to see some female role models too. And little boys need to learn that moms can play and coach sports too.

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V.B.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 31, 2008

Please step up and volunteer! There is no such thing as a "dad" territory when it comes to sports. Plus there are never enough volunteers out there (and believe me I know, I am the age group coordinator for softball and we are always short on coaches). If you are comfortable with being a coach and you can relate well with the kids you will be a great coach. You don't even need to know the sport that great, at this age you are teaching the kids sportsmanship and a few basic skills.

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C.C.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

Hi Valerie - we're not a T-Ball family but we do do soccer and I have seen many mom's and females just wanting to help coaching and managing teams. My husband coaches my daughters team and I manage and we have a female assistant coach (who use to be head coach until she opened her own bus.). I do agree that most coaches seem to be male but I think it is because the coaching position has traditionally been seen as a "male" role. I think it is great that you would be interested in coaching and that it sends a strong message to "our" girls. So, when you do decide to start your daughter in any sport I say go for it!

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K.C.

answers from
Minneapolis
on
July 30, 2008

Hi Valerie,

I love this question. years ago, before my oldest, now grown sons were old enough to play soccer i volunteered to coach a local kids team. One of my sons even asked me why I was doing it. It was so much fun. I love soccer.

It's a good way to role model your values. You get to choose how you spend your time.